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© St. Petersburg Times, published February 23, 2002
BROOKSVILLE -- Thirty banners hang from the walls of Hernando's Imhoff Gymnasium. Sixteen -- more than any other sport -- are for girls basketball.
Two, in particular, caught the eye of Christina Benoay. They commemorate final four appearances in 1987-88 and 1998-99.
Today, the Leopards try to add a third.
"I want to keep it going," said Benoay, a junior guard.
Hernando (23-4), unbeaten in 13 games, seeks its second final four appearance in four seasons when it hosts Orlando Bishop Moore (22-6) in the Class 3A, Region 2 final at 7:30 p.m. The winner advances to the state semifinals Wednesday in Lakeland.
Only senior forward/center Bernice Mosby remains from the Leopards' last final four team.
"I've never been there, so I don't know what it'd be like," Benoay said. "I'd probably have a lot more butterflies in my stomach than I usually do."
Hernando moved one step closer with its most exciting win of the year, Tuesday's 50-48 thriller against Cocoa. The Leopards won on Mosby's buzzer-beating bank shot, but the Florida signee didn't give herself long to savor the victory.
"There's another game coming," Mosby said. "I can't just see what I did in that game. I've got to calm down and see what I can do in the next game and win this."
Hernando will have to contend with a Bishop Moore lineup that starts 6-footers Amber Stoney and Natalie Wilmers. Both love to shoot 3-pointers. Stoney shoots 53 percent from behind the arc, Wilmers hits 49 percent.
Hernando will be without guard Sheena Johnson, who will not dress for the game. With Benoay in the lineup, the Leopards will lose some rebounding but should have better ballhandling -- a plus, considering their 39 turnovers against Cocoa.
"That's something we've been trying to work on all year long," Hernando coach Pete Lahey said. "Some games we do well, other games we have 30. I never know."
One thing Mosby knows is she intends to add another banner to the gym wall. And -- surprise -- it's not for a final four berth.
"This one I want to put up there I want to be a state championship," she said.